I recently had the opportunity to test the prototype of the Marsback M1 mechanical keyboard and, although it is still in an unfinished phase, the product achieves an excellent result.
Before I dive right into the review, I’d like to talk about Marsback, the maker of this amazing keyboard. In its catalog you can see a series of products that any gaming enthusiast will love, especially for the originality of the designs offered by Marsback.
The brand has been around since 2018 and its goal is to provide cutting-edge technological products capable of adapting to different player profiles. So far, I have had the opportunity to test your next new product, the M1 Mechanical keyboard.
Read on to learn all about its amazing design, tools, and features. I will also tell you if it is worth it or not.
Design
Taking the keyboard out of the box, my first impression was positive. Sometimes it is difficult to find gaming keyboards with simple designs and available in white as the video game industry mostly tends to bet on black colored products.
The keyboard will be available in the three colors which you can see below. In my case, I had the opportunity to test the all-white model.
The design gives a solid block feel, giving a strong and resilient appearance, the keys rest on a translucent rectangular white base, thanks to which you can start to see the different colored lights when you turn it on.
Marsback guarantees that each keyboard is individually sculpted, assembled and finished by hand, ensuring a unique piece for each of your devices.
The truth is, the superior quality of the product can be felt from the first moment of use.
If we turn it over, the plate that carries the technology capable of operating all the lights on the keyboard is half transparent, although the keyboard will always be in the same position, that is, we will never have to returning it, it is not something that matters a lot.
What matters is the detail of the four non-slip stickers that the keyboard incorporates in its four corners. This way the keyboard is secure, without slipping, no matter what surface you place it on.
The keys in general stand out a bit from the keyboard, which is characteristic of gaming or mechanical keyboards. The M1 is quite high, tilted slightly over the part of the keyboard closest to your hands. This design is ergonomic because it is able to better adapt to different types of hands, as well as improve the comfort of its use and its efficiency.
The upper part of each of the keys is opaque, although the letter, symbol or number is translucent like the rest of the keyboard, thanks to which you can see the play of lights that the M1 offers.
The lights are precisely what makes the M1 so special. You can set it up to your personal taste in different ways, or even turn off the lights completely if you want.
The possibilities are quite wide: one color, two color gradients, three color gradients, illuminated edges and disabled keys, etc. You can also configure the option for the keyboard to light up when you play the keys, which I personally found to be incredibly beautiful.
The keyboard has 84 keys (it doesn’t have the numbers on the side). It also comes with an Anglo-Saxon design, that is, the letter Ñ or the arrangement of the keys we are used in Europe does not appear.
However, I have to say that this is not something that bothered me at all. You just need to change the keyboard settings in your computer settings. You’ll quickly find that you’re actually memorizing the layout of all the keys, so the symbols on the keyboard don’t need to match.
Still, it would be great if Marsback released its keyboard with different layouts for different countries, which we’ll confirm in this article when we have more information.
My conclusion regarding the design is positive: simple and elegant, solid without being too sturdy, with rounded edges, keys of a logical size and an incredible set of fully customizable colored lights that make this device special.
Operation, tools and software
Regarding how the M1 works, the first thing I have to explain is that I used it with a Mac computer. The prototype that I was able to test comes with the Windows-like key configuration and dedicated software (which I will talk about later), also initially created for Windows.
However, starting with Marsback, they are making sure that after its launch it will also be available for Mac computers.
To start using the keyboard you will need to connect it to your computer, for this you have two options: do it via Bluetooth or using the USB-C cable included in the box.
Follow the instructions to connect the device with Bluetooth, it is very easy to pair it with your computer. In my case, I used it with the equally simple USB-C cable, you just need to plug it in and enter the command your Mac will ask you to detect the new keyboard.
The M1 has software that you can install when available, with which you can customize the various keyboard shortcuts. The first trial version of this software is only available for Windows.
Looking at the manual that came with the keyboard, I was able to verify that the program will allow you to see a keyboard map on your screen and be able to turn some of its functions on or off.
This can be ideal for choosing which keys to use in your video games based on your personal preferences and tastes. I can’t wait for the software to also be available for Mac so that I can use it.
The degree of configuration seems quite advanced, which adds points in favor of the Marsback M1. The keyboard is capable of using more than 20 “shortcuts” to perform functions with certain keys.
The combination of different light effects is possible thanks to the 105 LED lights that the M1 carries inside.
I was able to configure the lights thanks to the different commands that appear in the instructions. The different lighting options are as follows:
- Lights on or off
- Activate the light in certain parts of the keyboard
- Activate or deactivate the light effects of the base
- Activate basic light effects to change
- Change the colors of light effects
- Adjust the brightness of the keyboard illumination
Being a prototype, I had a bit of trouble getting some controls to work. There was a point where the key combinations shown in the instruction manual didn’t work as expected, however, I understand that this will be something that will be fixed in the final product.
On the other hand, if we focus on the comfort of using the keyboard, I can say that after using it for days, this is a very comfortable keyboard. It is true that its ergonomic design allows your hands not to get tired. Marsback says that precisely its design makes it 5% faster to type with the M1 than with other keyboards.
From my experience, I have to say that I made fewer typos than with my previous membrane keyboard.
The arrangement of the keys is correct, it offers enough space for the finger to fit well on each of the keys. The keys are comfortably pressed, no need to apply too much pressure. The feeling when using the M1 for writing is quite pleasant.
However, if your idea is to use the keyboard in your daily work (as I have done these days), be aware that while it is very comfortable to use, it is also quite noisy.
As we said before, this is a mechanical keyboard, which means that it works by the pressure you physically exert on each key (each key has a physical switch).
A membrane keyboard (works by transferring pressure to the electronic circuit using a silicone) is ideal if you want to use it for typing without making too much noise (your colleagues in the office will end up hating you if you decide to to use the M1 to work with more people around you).
Keep in mind that membrane keyboards are cheaper to manufacture, which needs to be taken into account to understand the value for money of this mechanical keyboard. Also, if you invest more in this type of keyboard and one key fails, you can fix it individually, whereas with membrane keyboards this would not be possible.
Mechanical keyboards, like the M1, are ideal for video games. Its system allows much more precision and speed. They are also more durable, so in the end, paying more for a mechanical system can turn out to be a good investment.
Another issue to consider is its connectivity. If you use it with a cable, you won’t have to think about the battery at any time. Use a USB-C input that you can connect to your computer to operate the keyboard.
If you decide to use the bluetooth connection, you will need to use pairing mode to connect it to your computer. The keyboard battery lasts up to 40 days (if you use it without light), which means you may forget to charge the keyboard for a while. The total charging time is quite long, 6 hours, but as they say, six hours is not enough if you compare it to the days that the battery will last.
Price and availability
The Marback M1 keyboard will be available for purchase starting March 2, and its price starts at $ 159. If you are interested or interested in the exact date, you can enter the link and write your email address in order to receive a notification when it is available.
From the Marsback page we can see that early bird early bird purchases will get a discount of up to 48%, so be sure to check out their page if you’re interested in the keyboard.
As we mentioned in the previous sections, mechanical keyboards are more expensive and also the most suitable for video games. If you take a look at our pick of the best keyboards the game You will see that the price does not drop below 120 dollars, so the M1 at 159 dollars (the price in dollars is to be confirmed, but is around 130 $) seems an acceptable price to us.
Technical specifications
- 12 multimedia keys
- Battery: 6000mAh (30-40 days of use without light)
- Material: polycarbonate
- Luces: 16.8M RGB
- Charging time: 6 hours
- Dimensions: 321x131x42.8 mm
- Bluetooh version: 5.1 (connection up to 30-50 meters in open space)
- Main LEDs: 84 LEDs
- Lights on the body: 21 LEDs
- Compatible operating systems: Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Dos, Linux, Unix
- USB-C 3.1
Verdict
The Marsback M1 is a quality keyboard, with good construction and an ergonomic design that will allow you to use it both for work (if you don’t mind the noise), and for playing video games thanks to its precision.
If the lights are off, it’s a simple, sleek design, available in white or dark colors (white gaming keyboards are hard to find). When you turn on the LED lights, the design becomes striking and original, it is even relaxing to work with the play of light offered by the keyboard.
We also appreciate the ability to configure and customize the keyboard as you wish through its software.
If you are looking for a good quality and durable product, the M1 is worth it.
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